Very neat concept that i just stumbled upon on Springwise. For those that dont know, Springwise is like a giant business idea portal. The green restaurant being launched via social networking is called Elements.

Essentially the restaurant and its concept is being formulated by group members, and each one has input into its development. It is the latest craze in the net world, as it plays on collaboration, web 2.0 tools, and something called crowdsourcing.

Without getting too technical, crowd sourcing basically is when you use (and harness) the collective power and efficiency of a group of like minded people. One way this is mostly employed, is online via social networks.

In the example of the green restaurant, the group meets at the online social network called Collective X, and it generates input from members there. Elements is the name of this restaurant project, and it is aimed at those who are progressive. It is, or will be an organic locally sourced, earth friendly vegetarian eatery.

We encourage balance in life. All of life is interconnected, thus our actions can have a great impact. We balance our needs—health, enjoyment, vitality—with the needs of others and the Earth. As an independent local business, Elements endorses the triple bottom line: we measure success in not only economic, but environmental and social terms as well. We support balance in our community by serving organic vegetarian food grown our own garden in a building that exceeds environmental standards. We support balance globally by cutting our waste, composting, and recycling, and by neutralizing our carbon output with offsets and green energy.

Wow, that is quite a mouth full. According to the restaurant page, the restaurant has already reached certain platues, and is currently at the finding a General Manager stage, among other steps.

Progress Map Below

As you can see above in the progress map, each step is outlined for members and maybe for possible would-be investors.

I quite love this idea, and it is something that im sure can only be pulled off, with the right group of people. Otherwise it could be total chaos, and/ or take forever to accomplish.

Other Examples Of Social Networks Doing Good

This idea of using the power of a group of people online, is pretty new but so far has proven to be effective. Another example i can give you is Kiva, an online portal (of anybody lenders) who join with others, and collectively micro-lend to small business owners and artists in developing countries. So far Kiva has been quite successful.

To read more on Elements, head on over to their group restaurant page on the web.

Source: [SpringWise]